Bull riding is considered the rodeo's roughest, wildest, and most dangerous event. It is easy to see why. Bull riders are usually of slight build, weighing from one hundred thirty to one hundred fifty pounds. In contrast, the roughstock selected for bull riding are usually specially cross-bred and managed Brahma bulls with known reputations and characteristics. These bulls have great strength and ferocity, are extremely quick despite their size, and have a predisposition to attack a human. Such a bull can weigh more than a ton, can lift more than its weight, has the agility to jump higher than its height, and can have sharp horns exceeding one foot in length. Unlike a horse that will look back and interact with its rider and avoid stepping on him if thrown, a bull has little empathy for its rider and will attempt to trample on and gore a down rider.
As is well known, while the bull is in the chute, a bull rope is wrapped around the girth of the bull and provides a hand-hold back of the bull's hump. The bull rider mounts the bull and grasps the hand-hold with one hand by which he holds the rope tightly around the bull. The other hand remains free and must not touch the bull or the rope during the ride, or else the rider will be disqualified. Prior to grasping the hand-hold, the rider puts his holding hand in a glove saturated with rosin. The gloved hand is placed in the hand-hold, and the free end of the bull rope is wrapped around the hand so that the rider can obtain a tight grasp on the rope.
From the moment the gate opens, the rider must remain on the bull for at least eight seconds or be disqualified. During the ride, the bull ferociously tries every movement to dismount and injure the rider--bucking, spinning, twisting, bolting forward and then abruptly stopping, flying completely off the ground and then slamming down hard, cocking his head and neck back and forth and from side to side thereby attempting to hook the rider with its horns, and rolling fore and aft and from side to side. Moreover, in contrast to a horse, the bull's skin is relatively loose on its body, causing the bull's hide to roll simultaneously with its other wild movements.
The rider must rely only on his single-handed grip of the bull rope, along with his training that provides him with a sense of timing, anticipation, and balance. Still, the odds greatly favor the bull in this contest in that statistics show that only about one out of ten or twelve riders remains on a bull for the required eight seconds. A rider may be considered lucky if he is thrown clear of the bull or if the attending cowboys, or so-called clowns, are able to distract the bull from a downed rider. Too often, the result of being thrown is serious injury or death.
In a desperate attempt to remain on the bull, the rider attempts to achieve a very tight grip on the rope before the chute is opened. Although a tight grip may be an advantage for staying mounted, it is a disadvantage if the rider is thrown from the beast. One of the most serious problems occurs when a rider is thrown from the bull but his hand remains caught in the bull rope. This can easily occur because before leaving the chute, riders typically pound their rosin-soaked glove hand around the rope, trying to tighten the grip. Also, because of the twists and turns of the bull, the rider's hand may become entangled in the hand-hold and the rope as he is thrown from the bull. Moreover, riders sometimes pack their hands too securely even to the extent of doing what is termed a "suicide wrap," that is, wrapping the bull rope around the gloved hand in such a way that it is almost inextricably connected to the bull rope under the riding conditions.
When a thrown rider's hand is caught, the clowns rush in and attempt to dislodge the hand. With the rigging currently used, the clowns must try to untie and unwind the rope from the caught hand or to slip the hand out of the rope and in this manner free the rider. For this purpose, a cowbell is often attached to the bull rope under the bull's belly to provide a large object that can be grabbed in an effort to control the rope.
These rescue efforts are by no means a satisfactory solution to the problem. It may be extremely difficult or impossible to dislodge the rider's hand while the bull continues to gyrate wildly. It also places the clowns, in addition to the rider, at risk. Every second is critical in this rescue mission. In severe situations, a dozen or more cowboys may encircle the bull attempting to control and to release the rider from the bull. In the meantime, the rider or one or more of the cowboys may be severely injured or killed.